This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In various plasma-based manufacturing systems, the work pieces are rotated between electrodes or workstations. In some configurations, the workpiece spends equal time at each electrode or work station. Spending equal time at each electrode or workstation accounts for power mismatch between each electrode or workstation, as the workpiece spends equal time at each workstation or electrode. This theoretical equal amount of energy provided by rotating the workpiece through multiple stations for equal periods of time theoretically leads to improved deposition uniformity and increases throughput correspondingly. For example, if a workpiece rotates through four electrodes or workstations, a throughput of 4:1 is provided.
In some plasma-based manufacturing systems, however, power deviations between each electrode or workstation can vary significantly. Significant variation can reduce the desired uniformity theoretically provided by rotating a workpiece through multiple electrodes or workstations.